Apparatus for feeding paper to printing-presses and ruling-machines



3 Sh etsSheet 1.

1 .D. BALDWIN.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PAPER T0 PRINTING PRESSES AND RULING MACHINES.

Patented Jan. 2, 1855.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

, D. BALDWIN. APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PAPER- T0 PRINTING PRESSBS AND RULING MAOHINES.'

No.-12,118. Patented Jan. 2-, 1855-.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

D. BALDWIN. APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PAPER T0 PRINTING PRESSBS AND RULING MACHINES.

. Patented Jan. 2. 1855.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID BALDWIN. OF GODWINY'ILLE, NEW. JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PAPER TO PRINTING-PRESSES AND RULING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,118, dated January 2, 1855.

h To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAvm'BALnwIN, of Godwinville, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Feeding Sheets of Paper to Printing-Presses, Paper- Ruling Machines, and All other Machines which Require the Feed of a Single Sheet of Paper at One Time; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a side view of my improved apparatus, a portion of the frame work nearest the eye being removed, in order to show some of the working parts. Fig. 2, is a front view of do., a portion of the cylinder on which the sheets of paper are fed being removed, in order to show the tubes at the bottom of the vibrating frame. Fig. 3, is a longitudinal vertical section of do., the plane of section being through the center.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Th'enature of my invention consists :1st. In feeding sheets of paper, singly, or one at a time, to a printing press, paper ruling, or other machines requiring the feed of a single sheet at a time, by means of a vibrating frame having a series of tubes attached to it, which tubes, as the frame vibrates, pass over a portion of the sheet to be fed to the press or machine, and also overa portion of a cylinder or other part of the machine which receives the sheet, said tubes having the air extracted from them when over the sheet, by means .of an air pump attached to the frame or otherwise, and operated as the frame vibrates; the vacuum within the tubes causing the sheet to adhereto them,

which tubes, as the frame vibrates, convey; the sheet to the cylinder or other part of the machine which receives the sheet, the

vacuum in the tubes being destroyed when, the sheet is received by said cylinder ori end of this arm, there is attached by a pivot,

other part.

2d. My invention consists in the employ-. ment or use of a self adjusting feed table,"

on which the sheets of paper to be fed to the machine are placed, the feed table being operated, as will'be hereafter shown, by the vibrating frame, so as to bring the sheets in contact with the ends of' the tubes at all times.

3d. My invention consists in'the employment of tubes arranged upon a vibrating frame, or arranged in any" other manner, when said tubes, with the aid of an air pump, are employed for conveying sheets of paper to a printing press or other machine.

To enable others skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, represents the cylinder of a printing .press, or paper ruling machine, and (a),

(a), (a), represent cords, which, as usual,

are made to work over a portion of the periphery of the cylinder, by means of rollers,

B, is avlbratlng frame suspended-loosely upon a shaft, 0, which has its bearings in standards, D, D, attached to the framework,

D, of the apparatus. The, frame, B, is composed merely of two arms, (6-), (e), which work loosely on the shaft, The lowerends of the arms are connected by a horizontal tube, E, having a series of tubes, (f), projecting downward from it at right angles.

F, is an air pump, the lower part of which connects with the tube E. The upper part of the pump is secured to the shaft, C, by. bearings, (g), (g), see-Fig. 2, through which the shaft, C, turns loosely. An arm, (9), projects horizontally from the lower end of the pump at the back side, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

G, Fig. 3, is the piston head of the pum and H, is the piston rod having a rack, (h on one side, which rack gears into a pinion,

' I, attached permanently to the shaft, 0. A

slot is cut in the cylinder of the pump to allow the pinion to gear into rack, see Fig. 3.

I, is a regulating valve, constructed in the usual manner, and inserted in the horizontal tube, E, see Figs. 1 and 2.

J, Figs. 1 and 2, is an arm projecting at right angles from the upper part of one of the arms, (6) of the frame, B. To the outer (i), a connecting rod, K, which has an oblong slot, (7'), through its lower end, see Fig. 1. The shaft, L, of the cylinder, A, passes through this slot. Directly above the slot, (j), and on the connecting rod, K,

there is a pin, (70), see Fig. 2, against which a cam, M, on the shaft, L, operates, see Figs.

1 and 2.

N, is an arm projecting from the end of the shaft, C. To the outer end of this arm, there is attached by a pivot, (Z), :1, connecting rod, 0, which has an oblong slot, (m), through its lower end. The shaft, L, passes throughthis slot, To this connecting rod, 0, there is attached a pin, (m) against which a cam, O, on the shaft, L, of the cylinder A, operates.

P, is a spiral spring, the lower end of which is secured to a collar, (11.), on the shaft, L, and the upper end secured to the connecting rod, 0, at the point, (0), see Figs. 1 and 2.

Q, is a feed table, on which the sheets of paper to be fed to the printing press, or other machine, is placed. The back end of this table is provided with'pivots, (p), (10), one at each side; and these pivots fit in the outer ends of hirozontal arms, (1'), (r), attached to the back end of the frame work, D, of the apparatus, see Figs. 1 and 3.

R, is a spiral spring, one end of which is secured to the frame work, D, and the opposite end to the lower end of an arm, S, which projects downward from the back of the feed table, Q, see Figs. 1 and 3.

T, Figs. 1 and 3, is a roller or wheel attached to one end of a lever, U, which lever is connected by a pivot, (s), to the upper part of an upright lever, V. The outer end of the lever, U, is provided with a counterpoise, W. The lower end of the upright lever, V, is connected to a rock shaft, X, having its bearings in the outer ends of arms, (t), (27), attached to the back part of the frame work, D.

Y, is an arm or lever which projects downward from the rock shaft, X. The lower part of the arm or lever, Y, fits in the end of a rod, Z, which fits in, or works through bearings, (u), (11.), attached to the frame work, see Fig. 1. l

A, is a curved arm, which projects downward from the feed table, Q. This curved arm has a zigzag slot, ('0), through it, in which slot a pin, 10), attached to the rod, Z, fits.

B, is a spiral spring, one end of which is secured to the frame work, D, and the opposite end to the rod, Z, at the point, (y), see Fig. 1.

Operation: The sheets of paper, represented by (m), are placed upon the feed table, Q, and underneath the roller, or wheel, T. Motion is then communicated to the shaft, L, of the cylinder, A, and if the tubes, (f), of the vibrating frame, B, are over the sheets, (ac), as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; the cam, O, as the shaft, L, rotates, operates against the pin, (17%), and causes the connecting rod, 0, to turn the shaft, 0, and the pinion, I; and as this pinion gears into the rack, (72.), on the piston rod, H, the piston will consequently be drawn upward, and a vacuum produced in the tube, F, and tubes (f), and the sheet of paper directly underneath the tubes, (f), will be forced against them by the external pressure of the atmosphere. The cam, M, now operates against the pin, on the connecting rod, K, and causes the frame, B, to vibrate; the tubes, (f), with the sheet of paper attached to them, moving toward the cylinder, A, until the sheet is caught by the cords, (a), see Fig. 3. At this point, the pin, (1%), on the connecting rod, 0, is relieved from the cam, O, and the shaft,'C, is turned back to its original position by the force of the spiral spring, P, the piston descending within the pump, F, and destroying the vacuum in the tube, E, and tubes, The sheet is in consequence released from thetubes, (f), at the moment it is caught between the cords, (a), and cylinder, A. The pin, (79),.011 the connecting rod, K, is now relieved from the cam, M, and the frame, B, falls or returns by its own gravity to its original position, as shown in Fig. 1, the tubes, (f) being over the uppermost sheet of paper, and when the frame, B, again moves, conveying the succeeding sheet to the cylinder in the same manner as the first. The regulating valve, I, prevents the vacuum from being too perfect in the tubes, (f), so that the sheets may not be perforated by the ends of the tubes.

The sheets of paper, (00), are placed over each other upon the feed table, Q, and it is evident that the feed table must have an upward motion as the sheets are fed off of it, in order tokeep the sheets close to the ends of the tubes, (f), and within the suction of the tubes. This feed motion is effected by means of the pin, (w), on the rod, Z, fitting in the zigzag slot, ('0), in the curved arm, A. When the frame, 13, returns to its original position, as shown in Fig. 1, the arm, (9), at the bottom of the pump, F, strikes against the end of the lever, U, which, in consequence of being attached to the upright lever, V, moves the rock shaft, X, and throws the arm or lever Y, and rod, Z, forward, and the pin, (w), is moved off of the tooth or ledge against which it rested in the zigzag slot, ('0), and the-spring, R, throws up the front end of the frame, the distance of one notch in the zigzag slot. These notches may be graduated, or made small, so that the feed table may be operated, if necessary, at every vibration of the frame, B, or so arranged that, only when several sheets are fed off of the table, the feed table may be operated. This is effected by having the end of the lever, U, curved and bent, as shown at (z) inFigs. 1 and 8, so as to form a curve projection, for the arm, (9), to operate against when the end of the lever is sufliciently depressed to cause the arm, (9') to come in contact'with the curved projection, (a) The roller or wheel, T, it will be understood, gradually settles downward as the sheets are fed off, and the curve projection, (2'), of course settles with it.

I am aware that atmospheric pressure has been previously applied in a certain way for taking printed sheets from a press, and

the device patented by S. P. Ruggles, 1852.

My device, however, differs essentially from his.

I do not confine myself to the position of the pump, F, for that may not be attached to the vibrating frame, any ingenious Inc-- chanic may devise several plans by which the pump may be operated, either attached to the frame, or otherwise.

What I claim, therefore, as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Feeding sheets of paper, singly, or one at a time, to a printing press, paper ruling, or other machine, requiring the feed of a single sheet at a time, by means of a vibrating frame, B, having at its lower end a series of tubes, (7), which, as the frame, B, vibrates, pass over the sheet to be fed to the machine, and also over a portion of the cylinder or other device for receiving the sheet; a vacuum being formed and destroyed in said tubes, (f), by means of an air pump, F, attached to' the frame, B; and operating as herein shown, for thepurpose of causing the tubes, (7), to convey the sheets from the feed table to the receiving device of the machine. I

2. I claim the self adjusting feedv table, Q,

constructed and arranged as herein shown,

or in an equivalent way, so as to be operated by the vibrations of the frame, B, and keep the sheets, (w), close to the ends of the tube. 3. I claim the tubes, (f), arranged as herein shown, on a vibrating frame, when said tubes, wit-h the aid of an air pump, are employed for conveying the sheets to the press or machine.

DAVID BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

S. H. WALES, J. W. HAMILTON. 

